My lips quirk into a grin as I hook my thumbs in my belt loops. “How old do I look?”
She chews on her lip as she studies my face before pronouncing confidently, “Thirty-five.”
I feign hurt. “I'll have you know I'm thirty-four, little lady.”
She doesn’t miss a beat. “When do you turn thirty-five?”
“In a month,” I admit begrudgingly.
She laughs, and the sound is like music to my ears.
Christ, I'm thirteen years older than this woman. I’ve got no business thinking the thoughts I do when I look at her tight, young body.
Tell that to my cock.
“You ready to do this?” I ask, trying to get my mind out of the gutter.
She nods her head enthusiastically.
I lead her over to the stable, where I let her get reacquainted with Rosie while I saddle her up.When Rosie is all ready to go, I don't give Emily the option to mount her on her own. Partly because I know she's way too short to manage it without a stepladder, but also because I’m greedy and want any opportunity to touch her.
Emily lets out a yelp when I clasp my hands around her waist and lift her effortlessly onto the mare's back. She grips the saddle with wide eyes and a huge smile on her face. My chest feels tight. Fuck, she’s so beautiful when she smiles like that.
“Wow,” she breathes.
I grin at her excitement. “You ain't seen nothing yet, darlin’. Wait ‘til we get to movin’.”
I see the questions in her eyes when I say “we,” but I don't give her a chance to voice them before sliding into the saddle behind her.This is completely unorthodox. I never ride with my trainees, but I'll take any excuse to get closer to Emily.
And holy fuck, she feels amazing. I wrap my arms around her and grab the reins. Emily is so tiny the top of her head barely reaches my chin. I inhale deeply, flooding my senses with the floral scent of her shampoo. She smells good enough to eat, and my cock swells even harder in my jeans. If the fucker keeps going, he's going to rip clean through them.
“What now?” Emily asks, her voice breathless.
Is she overwhelmed riding a horse for the first time? Or is it the proximity of our bodies causing that breathlessness? Having her in my arms is overwhelming in all the best ways, and I will not take one moment of this for granted.
“Now we ride.”